Episode 51: Fighting Words

On a new episode of NER, the guys talk about why Floyd Mayweather haters hate Floyd Mayweather; handicap the early leaders in the Andrew Luck Derby and break down the Ray-J/Fabolous beef. No, seriously.

Episode 43: Spread Your Wings

The NERD's talk about their weekend field trip; Marcas finally watches Jersey Shore; Who should Kimbo Slice fight next? And what did Soulja Boy spend $55 million on?

Sugar Ray Leonard Says Coach Sexually Abused Him

Sugar Ray Leonard has a new book due out next month, titled "The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring". In it, he tells stories of problems with drinking, domestic violence and multiple near death experiences, but according to the New York Times, the biggest bombshell surrounds allegations that Leonard was molested by a former coach.

Leonard writes that when the coach accompanied him as a 15-year-old and another young fighter to a boxing event in Utica, N.Y., in 1971, he had the teenagers take a bath in a tub of hot water and Epsom salts while he sat on the other side of the bathroom. They suspected “something a bit inappropriate” was occurring but did not want to question a strong male authority figure.

Several years later, Leonard describes sitting in a car in a deserted parking lot across from a recreation center, listening intently as the same coach, said to be in his late 40s, explained how much a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics would mean to his future.

He was flattered, filled with hope, as any young athlete would be. But he writes: “Before I knew it, he had unzipped my pants and put his hand, then mouth, on an area that has haunted me for life. I didn’t scream. I didn’t look at him. I just opened the door and ran.”

The coach is unnamed in the book, but is described as a "prominent Olympic boxing coach". The 55-year old Leonard says he was motivated to tell his story after seeing actor Todd Bridges admit on the Oprah show to being sexually abused as a child.

It's cynical to say that it's easier for Leonard to make this admission through a book that will make him some extra money. But I can't imagine any amount of money would erase whatever pain, shame and embarrassment he feels from having to discuss what may have happened to him. In recent years, women's gymnastics has come under fire for allegations of sexual misconduct and an ABC News report learned of a slew of swimming coaches who have been banned for similar issues. Additionally, his story could help the U.S. Olympic Committee root out other possible cases of coaching predators.

At a time when it feels athletes and sports executives are coming out on a daily basis, hopefully this sparks a discussion about a much more serious and relevant issue of sexuality in sports.

McNabb Is Not Black Enough!

You know, I don't understand why people need to talk about other people (Hence I write a blog) when we can care less about their opinions at this state in their careers.

Enter Bernard "B-Hop" Hopkins. Bernard is a great fighter at a weight division that Roy Jones Jr. made famous and no one else. If you ever really watched a B-Hop fight it like two Republicans having a debate, not really fighting but something just happened and a person was hurt.
If you didn't know, Hopkins has a fight coming up soon.....wait, you wouldn't have known because its boxing and no one watches boxing. for those who are interested the fight is Saturday May 21, great set your calender. This post is not about boxing it has nothing to do about boxing it has everything to do with just stop talking about people who have nothing to do with you.

B-Hop seems to still have issues with Ex-Philly Eagle and soon to be Ex-Redskins QB Donovan McNabb. The feud goes back to the Terrell Owens days, when he questioned McNabb's leadership and how the players in the locker room were following T.O. and not Donovan because he couldn't hold his chow in the Super Bowl.

According to: www.blacksportsonline.com/home/2011/05/bernard-hopkins-thinks-donovan-mcnabb-isnt-black-enough/, He is questioning his Blackness as a person. In other words he is as "Uncle Tom" as they come. Wayne Brady might have somthing to do with that..(Dave Chapelle reference) He might as well had called him a "House Nigger". It just bothers me, that this is another form of black on black crime that is not needed or warranted by B-Hop. This seems like a shameless way to promote his fight for a fighter that time has forgotten.

Muhammad Ali 's Protege -Million Dollar Baby!

What are you teaching your kids these days? It looks like we might have another Million Dollar Baby!

Wanna Hear Jose Canseco's "Celebrity Boxing" Explanation? Got $10 (Per Minute)?

Oh Jose Canseco, you are nothing if not entertaining.

Last Saturday, Canseco was scheduled to take part in a Celebrity Boxing event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL. The only problem is that Jose was a no-show and instead sent his brother Ozzie in his place.

“We discovered the Canseco who showed up was Ozzie when he took off his shirt and didn’t have José’s tattoos on the biceps that appear in our advertising,” a Celebrity Boxing representative told El Nuevo Herald. The man said he did not want to be identified.

If that wasn't bad enough, Jose took to Twitter the next day to trash Damon Feldman, the fight's promoter, saying Feldman "did not comply with his part of the agreement".

Um...Jose? The agreement was to have you fight. Not pull some sort of high school switcheroo with your coat-tail riding twin brother. (By the way, it rarely worked in high school.)

Nonetheless, the Tomax and Xamot of baseball stand by their assertion that they did nothing wrong. At least Tomax is. Or would Jose be Xamot? Forget it, it's making my head hurt. Either way, Jose was back on Twitter again Monday telling people that he wuz robbed.

Turns out that the number Canseco lists connects you to MyFanline, a service that allows you to talk to your favorite celebrity. For the low, low price of $10 per minute (the website says the money goes to charity) you can talk to such "luminaries" as Jose or Ozzie Canseco, Antoine "Bed Intruder" Dodson, Danielle Staub from the Real Housewives of New Jersey and Ray Parker, Jr. of "Ghostbusters" fame.

(Who ya gonna call? For ten dollars a minute? Not Ray.)

Give Jose credit, though. There aren't too many guys out there who would take a situation in which they were decidedly in the wrong and turn it into a marketing opportunity. So...kudos to you, I guess.